When GM emailed me to offer the use of their Chevy Orlando to get me to Blissdom Canada, I was stoked! It’s a great looking vehicle that I couldn’t wait to test out on the open road. But when a second email came letting me know that the Orlando got itself into a bit of fender bender with help from a journalist, I was bummed. Finding out my replacement car was a Buick Regal, I had a laugh. A Buick Regal? Did they know I was in my 30’s? Isn’t that an old person’s ride??
I know when to admit when I was wrong, and well, I was wrong. I loved this car! It was stylish, sophisticated and way too techy to be a grandpa’s car! My parents would have a stroke just looking at all the buttons on the control panel! lol
The Regal was loaded with features that I loved!
GPS
ohhhh, I swear I will now never ever buy a vehicle without this!! Love Love Love you GPS!! I was terrified to drive in Toronto and not only did this ease my mind it saved my sanity! I would have been sitting in some parking lot crying if it wasn’t for this trusted peace of technology! It made my experience a million times better and I could go on forever about how great this was! From alerting me to gas stations ahead (not that I needed one) and redirecting me when I failed to make a correct turn, it really was invaluable.
Satellite Radio
I travel through the T-dot a lot so I know how annoying it is to have to change the radio station all the time along your route. My chosen satellite station kept me singing along the whole time without the hassle!
Heated Leather Seats
oohhh la la, a leather interior is sooo sexy, but honestly up until this point I would never have bought a car with leather seats because they are always cold when you get in, right? Oh no no, not with heated seats! The seats heat up quickly and kept me toasty warm on a gloomy damp day. I have been in a car with heated seats before and was warned that it would feel like I (excuse me for a minute here) peed my pants, lol, and they were right, but not with the Buick Regal. It was just nice normal warmth! lol
Remote Keyless Entry/Push Start
Have you ever locked your keys in the car? I have, twice! The keyless entry and push start means that you never actually have to take the keys out of your purse or pocket. As long as you have the key your door will open and the car will start. And if you accidentally lock the keys in, the door will open so you can get them back out!
E-Assist
What is E-Assist right? Well, I don’t know much about the guts of a car which is why I have not talked at all about the fact that it has 6-speed automatic transmission with Driver Shift Control, a StabiliTrak® electronic stability control system or 182 hp 2.4L ECOTEC® 4-cylinder engine with Direct Injection and Variable Valve Timing (VVT). But what I do know is that this E-Assist thing is impressive.
Basically, the E-Assist technology means you have an extremely fuel efficient automobile!
I took the Buick for a drive locally to get familiar with it when it arrived and then drove it to Toronto and back (roughly 4.5 hours of driving) and I barely used half a tank of gas. I was impressed to say the least!
“New for 2012, Regal’s available eAssistTM technology combines a special version of the 2.4-litre ECOTEC® engine with a next-generation six-speed automatic transmission, a 115-kW lithium-ion battery, a 15-kW electric motor and more. The result is a major boost in fuel efficiency with no loss of performance. With eAssistTM, Regal consumes just 8.3 L/100 km in the city and 5.4 L/100 km on the highway”(source)
More Awesomeness
•6 airbags
•Power 12-way driver seat adjuster; includes power 4-way driver lumbar adjuster
•Leather-wrapped steering wheel with Bluetooth®, cruise and audio system controls
•Air conditioning with pollen and odour filter
•Bluetooth® hands-free phone connectivity
•AM/FM/CD stereo with MP3 playback, USB port and 7-speaker audio system
•Sunroof
I was provided the above mentioned vehicle by GM Canada to attend BlissdomCanada, I was not asked to post about the vehicle but wanted to share my experience. I do not claim to be a vehicle expert, all opinions are my own, you may have a different experience.
I know how much you must of loved that GPS, LOL